Chapter 156

The first round of closed door meetings ended at 1700. There was the first official state dinner at 1900. It was a large dinner group with a number of influential guests and dignitaries.

There was plenty of food and drinks in the social hour after dinner. The meal was a northeast specialty of crab cakes, lobster and steak; the traditional surf and turf.

My guests included my mates; they arrived just before happy hour and were spending the night. Jenny and Marcy had stepped off the G5 returning from Thimble Shoals to a seat in the helicopter.

As usual politics prevailed before the meal was served and after. Toasts and more toasts kept the flow of the conversations going. It was late when the festivities ended.

I started my day as usual, reading the intelligence updates then back to meeting with Prime Minister Morris. Today’s meetings were with much of our combined staff.

By 1100 we were finished. The trade people were happy on both sides. The State Department was happy with many of the agreements just being extended with little or no changes.

The generals were satisfied; there were some new arrangements for additional port calls with both our Navies. Australia had been a partner in many navel excursions since WW1. Australia - as did the British - lost many capital ships to the Japanese Navy in the South Pacific during WW2, fighting side by side with the US Navy.

This agreement would allow the joint training exercises to continue and to be expanded. It was all in an effort to show China a united front against its continued attempt to claim more islands in the South China Sea.

Another big luncheon was in play with all the dignitaries plus ambassadors from the region.

After lunch we went outside to the east lawn to sign the agreements and make the public announcements, since it was a beautiful spring day.

After the question and answer about the security agreements were over, the Prime Minister turned the podium over to Edmond Montgomery - the minister of the Australia National Parks and Wildlife Service - and Fredrick O’Hare. Fred was director of the Australia National Forest Aviation Service.

They stepped up to the podium with Edmond speaking first.

‘‘Many of you know how disastrous this year’s wild fires were in Australia. Over forty six million acres were burned with thousands of homes destroyed or threatened. The month of October was the worst fire season ever. We need help and need it desperately. ‘‘

‘‘When you are in trouble you call your friends. We knew that the US had been fighting big fires as long as we had. We made some calls and were directed to the US Forest Service part of your Agriculture Department.’’

‘‘We were directed to the agency chief Margret Hanson who understood our problem and offered to release ten of the twenty jumbo jet 747 air water tankers that were under contract to the Forest Service. The next issue was if they could travel the twelve thousand miles to us. That led to a conference call with Executive Vice President Lorrie Jones of JBG Aviation.’’

‘‘Three days later the ten water tankers and an air freighter with maintenance equipment and aviation mechanics landed at Sydney International. The next day they were dropping fire retardant on our fires.’’

‘‘Now for some statistics; the water tankers flew every day for one hundred and twenty days making two drops a day. 72 million gallons of retardant were dropped, requiring two thousand four hundred take off and landings. JBG Air Freight delivered thousands of gallons of concentrated fire retardant each week from the United States stockpile to help us continue to fight the fire.’’

‘‘Working with ground units they saved over one thousand small towns and villages from these terrible wild fires. We appreciate the great help of JBG, its pilots, crews and management,’’ Edmond said.

‘‘While Prime Minister Morris was in meetings, Edmond and I were given a tour of Morton Field - the headquarters for JBG Aviation on the eastern shore. It was an education on just how many big and how many total aircraft are in JBG’s business arsenal for its customers’ needs anywhere in the world. They came twelve thousand miles to help us.’’

‘‘I was amazed to learn JBG supplied aviation resources in one hundred and eighty countries for the US government diplomatic missions,’’ Fredrick said.

‘‘We are here to make a presentation of a plaque from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to JBG and its employees for their determined help this fire season. It includes the names of all the JBG members who came to help us.”

‘‘Lorrie, Jenny, Vicky, Ching Lee and Marcy - would you step forward and accept this plaque as a token of our appreciation?’’

‘‘The employees at JBG take pride in fulfilling our customers’ needs worldwide. It is a one hundred percent effort through all of our business divisions. I am proud to accept this plaque on behalf of our aviation division,’’ Lorrie said.

‘‘For the forty pilots and crew we have a shoulder patch for your uniforms making you an honorary member of the Australia National Parks and Wildlife Service.’’

‘‘From the National forest Service Aviation Division we have Pilots Wings for each of you for a job well done. Lorrie, would you call out the names for me,’’ Fredrick said.

‘‘Ladies and gentlemen, you are welcome to fly for our forest service anytime - just come on over,’’ he said.

As Lorrie called out the names, I was proud of all the JBG men and ladies even though I could not step forward and tell them so. The media would be screaming about the conflict of interest. Out of the thirty pilots and flight engineers, ten were women. I wondered if the media would acknowledge that.